U.S. and France Target Alleged Hamas Financing Network Disguised as Gaza Charity
Coordinated arrests, indictments and sanctions allege an international fundraising scheme sent millions to Hamas under the banner of humanitarian aid.
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U.S. and French authorities have taken coordinated action against what they describe as an international fundraising network that allegedly sent millions of dollars to Hamas while presenting donations to the public as humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza. The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges and arrests, while the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on individuals and two France-based organizations allegedly involved. (Justice Department)
The Justice Department said an indictment was unsealed against Saleem Alzaq, a Gaza resident whom prosecutors describe as central to the network. U.S. authorities also arrested Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami of Louisiana, and Raed Yousef of Florida, for their alleged roles in paying for, soliciting, or collecting funds for Hamas. In a parallel action, France’s General Directorate for Internal Security arrested three alleged associates of Alzaq: Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid and Nordine Barika.
What prosecutors allege
According to the Justice Department, Alzaq has operated an international fundraising effort since at least January 2020. Prosecutors allege he used social-media platforms and online payment services to solicit donations under the appearance of humanitarian relief for Gaza, while directing the money to Hamas.
The department said the network raised approximately $1.75 million, including about $626,000 from donors in the United States. Treasury, which examined the wider financing structure, said it moved more than $2 million to Hamas, including roughly $1.5 million collected after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. (Treasury)
Treasury said the operation used “deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels” to move funds and avoid detection. It identified Alzaq as a battalion deputy in Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and alleged he used money-service businesses and cryptocurrency wallets to transfer money to the group.
“Money is the lifeblood of terrorist organizations.”John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, via JNS
Charges against U.S. donors
Federal prosecutors allege the network reached donors inside the United States. Prosecutors say the Adhami brothers tried to conceal their payments through wire transfers and intermediaries. (UPI) Yousef has been charged with terrorism financing, money laundering and passport-fraud offenses, according to reports on the case. (BlockTelegraph) (WTSP)
Treasury sanctions French charities
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Alzaq, Barika and Oualid, along with two France-based organizations: Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux. Treasury alleges the organizations presented themselves as charities assisting civilians in Gaza while sending funds to Alzaq, who allegedly transferred the money onward to Hamas. (OFAC)
What do the sanctions do?
They freeze property and financial interests held in the United States or controlled by U.S. persons, and generally prohibit Americans from transacting with the designated parties.“Terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations.”Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
A continuing counterterrorism challenge
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the action shows U.S. authorities intend to pursue not only alleged terrorist operatives but also the financial infrastructure behind them. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators traced money flows across borders, including cryptocurrency transactions allegedly used to conceal the network’s activity.
The case illustrates a persistent difficulty: separating legitimate humanitarian fundraising for civilians in conflict zones from schemes that, according to prosecutors and regulators, exploit charitable appeals to finance armed groups.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice: Coordinated Arrests and Charges Dismantle Hamas Terror Finance Network (Oct. 2, 2026)
- U.S. Treasury: Treasury Dismantles Major Hamas Financing Network (Oct. 2, 2026)
- OFAC recent actions, Oct. 2, 2026
- JNS: U.S., France dismantle ‘terror finance network’
- UPI: DOJ dismantles financial network behind $2M in donations to Hamas
- WTSP: Lutz businessman, 2 others accused of raising funds for Hamas (Oct. 3, 2026)
- BlockTelegraph: Hamas Finance Network Faces U.S. Action Over $2 Million (Oct. 4, 2026)
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